Consumerism, evangelism, scepticism

[Jeff Bone]

Russell Turpin wrote:

> Jeff Bone writes:
> >You guys have some confused ideas of what religion means. What's the
> >unobservable, unknowable, supernatural force behind consumerism for which a
> >totally unfounded and unprovable leap of faith is required?
>
> When a new commercial comes on TV, and it opens with scenes
> of natural beauty, or a vignette to convince the viewer
> that the viewer is (or can be) one with the world, and that
> all is right, but not showing the product until the end,
> and sometimes then only the brand, it is nine times out of
> ten an ad for a car. As you know, I'm a sceptic. A car is
> a piece of metal with four wheels and an engine, to get you
> from point A to point B. And whatever brand you buy, you're
> still going to get stuck in traffic, still must hassle with
> insurance and registration, still must perform maintenance,
> etc. All I ask is: How reliable is it? And what is the cost
> to own it?
>
> But other people Believe. And there is an entire industry
> dedicated to fostering and maintaining that Belief.

Well, thats *an* answer, and a reasonably good one.  So here're the follow-on
questions, then:  since consumerism is by your above definition an act of
willing suspension of disbelief on the part of an *individual* is it more like
spirituality or religion?  Is there some accepted dogma associated with
consumerism, some catechism shared by all?  Are there martyrs to consumerism?
Sounds more like a phenomenon than a religious world-view to me...

As for the ad agencies and corporations:  is their exploitation of the
gullibility of the consumer, their manipulation, is that more like organized
religion or is it simply capitalism at work?  I'm clearly no fan of organized
religion, but the equation seems to rest on a particularly cynical view of
organized religion.  (In this particular case, while ad agencies and
corporations are probably fully cognizant of both means and goals in their
manipulation, most religions are IMO probably honestly if potentially
dangerously self-deluded.)  Do we have any moral obligations to the suckers?

jb